An Efficient Procedure for the Mild Oxidative Cleavage of Alkene-3-Ols: Application to the Preparation of 2-Alkoxy-2-(3,4,5-Trimethoxyphenyl)- Acetaldehyde

Abstract

A new procedure for the oxidative cleavage of alken-3-ols to α-alkoxy aldehydes has been developed using a combination of OsO₄/Et₃N/KIO₄/di-benzo-18-crown-6-ether in benzene/water. This extremely mild method has been applied to several 2-alkoxy-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)acetaldehydes.